


Wedding Vows

by clare009



Category: Walking Dead (TV), caryl - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Romance, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 16:25:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1654934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clare009/pseuds/clare009
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carol and Daryl take the next step.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wedding Vows

**Author's Note:**

> I've set this little scene several months after all the Terminus stuff is resolved and everyone is back together. No spoilers here, just speculation and wishful thinking.

 

It was a simple affair with only those they counted as their family to surround them. The hall was hung with wild flowers and the candles were an extravagance, but each flame represented a loved one lost. Dale. T-Dog. Lori. Andrea. Merle. Hershel. The girls… Sophia.

 

Carol had found a plain blue dress to wear, and the women had woven a wreath of flowers for her hair. She walked into the hall in her bare feet, holding the hand of little Judith, who wore a matching crown. The child tugged her eagerly inside, and Carol flushed to see all the smiling faces turned in her direction, burnished by the candlelight. Tara strummed her battered guitar while Beth sang a song she'd never heard before. It was soft and filled with all the promises of love, despite uncertainties.

 

The group separated to create a path for her. Carol stopped to embrace Rick and he kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear.

 

"You've said it enough," she said as she patted his cheek. It had been months now, there was no room for animosity between them. She passed Judith's hand over to her father after kneeling to give her a tight squeeze, then went on to be embraced by the others.

 

Tyreese was the last to wrap his arms around her in a bearhug. When she pulled back, she noticed the moisture in his eyes and her own grew wet in response. She hugged him quickly again, unable to put into words all the history between them, the pain, the guilt, the love and acceptance. She'd never had a brother before.

 

Tyreese stepped aside, and when he did, she saw Daryl was waiting for her.

 

He had combed his hair and tied its length back with a strip of leather, and his shirt was clean. Even his boots had been scrubbed for the occasion. There was a shy smile on his face, and his eyes were filled with the same emotion that she knew bubbled up inside of her. This mixture of pride, love, hope, joy and desire was so foreign to her, but it had grown from strength to strength, through loss and pain it had bloomed, and now the roots were deep, and Carol knew that no matter what raged at them, it would never fade.

 

She reached out her hand, and he took it between his own, smoothing his callused thumb over the indentation between her thumb and forefinger. The touch induced a hum of electricity under her skin, a ache for him in the pit of her stomach that was also something relatively new. She felt the perceptible shake of his hands and soothed him with a smile, all the while contemplating the kisses that would come later, similar to ones they'd shared recently, yet more intimate. And then all the rest in time that his first uncertain kisses had promised her.

 

Carol folded her hands into his and looked up into his eyes. He was still so shy, but he didn't look away. It was as if she was all he saw.

 

Beth's song in the background came to a close on one long low note, while the last refrain from Tara's guitar hung for a moment in the silence. Carol glanced at the gathered family around them, all expectant witnesses.

 

She turned back to Daryl, who'd never stopped looking at her. With her voice pitched only for his ears, she said, "Do you want to start?"

 

He stared at her for a moment longer, then licked his lips. "Yeah." Daryl shifted from one foot to the other and took a deep breath. She continued to smile at him, wondering if she'd ever stop smiling at him. "Carol, I want you to know, in front of all these guys, I'm yours for however long you want me, if you'll have me. I promise I'll always love you. I'll always have your back. I'll never let you turn. I'll never forget."

 

She nodded, the wetness behind her eyes threatening to slip down her cheeks. Carol cleared the lump in her throat and said, "Of course I'll have you. Daryl, in front of all our family present and all those who aren't with us anymore, I promise I'll always love you. I'll always have your back. I'll never let you turn. I'll never forget."

 

Daryl blinked a few times. He released her hand for a second to dig into his pocket. He pulled out two plain silver bands and held them out to her in the palm of his hand. "I have these," he said. Carol raised an eyebrow. They hadn't discussed this part. "I know they ain't fancy or anything. There's no need for nothing like that here. But I want you to keep it so you know you'll always have me."

 

She touched the rings in his palm with the tip of her finger and instantly flashed back to her first wedding in a small church with strangers looking on because her family wouldn't condone it. She'd been so young and nervous as she'd put the ring onto Ed's finger that she'd almost dropped it. They'd said words, too, and it had all been a lie.

 

But her love for Daryl and his love for her had been forged and tested in fire. Its truth was branded on her soul. She picked up the larger of the two rings and motioned for him to give her his left hand. Then, she slid the band onto his ring finger. He did the same with hers, and his smile widened. "There now," she said. She linked her hand with his once more and turned to face the group.

 

"Wait," Glenn said. "You gotta kiss her, man. That's how it works."

 

"Yeah, Daryl. Pucker up and kiss the bride," Michonne chuckled.

 

Daryl flushed, and Carol raised her eyebrows at him. His eyes darted to the ground and then back up to her. "Yeah, what the hell." He swooped in fast and pressed his lips to hers, and while Carol knew he was only going in for the quick smooch, she derailed his plans by wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him there while she proceeded to thoroughly kiss him.

 

Their family clapped and cheered and laughed, and it was so good to hear them laugh again. Carol smiled against Daryl's lips before she broke apart. He flashed her a quick grin and stepped away, but his grip on her hand remained firm.

 

Later, the group shared a feast of sorts and the couple was toasted with bottles of wine ransacked from some cellar somewhere.

 

Much much later, Carol cradled Daryl's head to her breast on the bed they shared. He'd given her so much in the past, and tonight, he'd given her even more. The sweat on her skin cooled even as her racing heart slowed to normal, and with all barriers between them smashed, they drifted into sleep. Tomorrow was a new day, and although they could only live one day, one moment, at a time, from now on they'd do so together.

 

 


End file.
